MDAC 2024: "Meeting Maryland’s Future Health Care Needs by Promoting Community Health Interventions and Evaluation in Early Childhood Educational Settings"
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Abstract
Background: The Community and Public Health Environmental Initiative (CPHEI) is a nurse-created and nurse-led community health program. Since 2016, CPHEI has placed all levels of nursing students at Early Head Start and Head Start sites to promote health and wellness in high quality early child care and education programs. Fragmented health care received by young children in low-income families impacts their ability to learn and thrive. While children in the K-12 setting typically have access to a school nurse, programs providing early childhood education (0 to 5 years old) often do not receive consistent nursing services. CPHEI seeks to bridge this gap through health screening, case coordination and education. Objectives: To meet Maryland’s future health care needs, nurses must be prepared to evaluate the social determinants of health at the community and individual levels and an awareness of health promotion outside of medical institutions. Methods: To promote program planning and evaluation, CPHEI has used an outcome measures tool to assist nursing students with implementing and evaluating their educational interventions. From 2016 to 2022, this tool was completed in Microsoft Excel and turned into staff at the end of each semester. Completion of the tool was reliant on the clinical instructor. In the fall of 2022, CPHEI developed an online form to record planning and outcomes measures. Use of the form has led to an increase in data collection. Students now complete the form immediately after an educational activity in real time. Results: Use of the online form promotes evidence-based resources to conduct formative and summative evaluation. Conclusions: This evaluation tool provides opportunities for students to think critically and reflect on the success of their interventions. This program helps students to view clients holistically and encourages students to think upstream regarding health promotion and disease prevention. Use of a consistent evaluation tool teaches students to think critically and consider the whole client when implementing nursing interventions.
